'Papillon' tells one of those stories that we remember for a long time. It is the tale of one man's life, an unbreakable friendship, and an inability to accept defeat against impossible odds. The film was based on the memoirs of convicted French felon Henri Charrière (though several critics have expressed doubt over the factual accuracy of the described events), who spent many years incarcerated in the brutal penal settlement of mainland French Guiana. The film was adapted by Dalton Trumbo and Lorenzo Semple Jr., and directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, who is most well-known for 'The Planet of the Apes (1968)' and 'Patton (1970).' Steve McQueen delivers a formidable performance as the convict Charriere, nicknamed "Papillon" because of the butterfly tattoo on his chest. Claiming to have been framed in the murder of a pimp, Papillon seeks immediately to escape from his imprisonment, employing the services – and later the friendship – of the withdrawn and vulnerable, but nonetheless resourceful, Louis Dega (Dustin Hoffman).<br /><br />One element that 'Papillon' accomplishes so powerfully is the torture and suffering that takes place in the prison. The bodies of exhausted and wasted men litter the paths, and most inmates have grown so accustomed to the prospect of death that they greet each carcass with a painful indifference. After a failed escape attempt, Papillon is sentenced to two years in solitary confinement, a truly horrific punishment with the sole aim of crushing the prisoner's spirit and sanity. Despite a few inexperienced dream sequences, this segment of the film is handled masterfully, and McQueen excels, deteriorating into the jittery, wide-eyed, physically-drained shell of a human being who has only a paper-thin grasp on both life and reality. A remarkable thing about Dustin Hoffman is that I've never seen him play the same character, and Louis Dega is no exception. Beneath his thick-lensed spectacles and shy countenance lies a true friend; one who, despite their differences, will risk everything to repay a good deed once done.<br /><br />During the last third of 'Papillon', not including the final act, Schaffner veers slightly away from the touching human friendship story and descends into above-average adventure mode, which was interesting but not on par with the rest of the film. Though it appeared in Charrière's original novel, the ill-developed (and dialogue-sparse) sub-plot of the brave white man earning the admiration of the natives was a Hollywood cliché that I could have done without. Additionally, a wonderful ending was tarnished somewhat by an unnecessary few lines of closing narration. It would have been much more effective had Papillon's fate been left open to the audiences. Of course, the fact that the writers were working off a true story perhaps makes that idea completely redundant. Nevertheless, 'Papillon' is a magnificently memorable prison drama, with two outstanding central performances (neither of which, I was shocked to discover, were nominated for an Oscar). The film's themes – of an innocent man finding the courage, hope and friendship to survive the horrific treatment of a cruel prison system – almost certainly served as inspiration for Frank Darabont's 'The Shawshank Redemption (1994).'